Normal, Interrupted
by Alyss Rose Heart
Summary: After her confrontation with Angel in "Sanctuary,"Buffy realizes that going home,going back to Riley would be wrong.With her feelings for Angel still so deep,she runs. Hanging up her stakes,she tries to live a normal life in the last place anyone would ever think to look for her. Full summary inside.
1. Preface

**Normal, Interrupted **

Summary: After her confrontation with Angel in "Sanctuary," Buffy realizes that going home, going back to Riley would be wrong. With her feelings for Angel still so deep, she runs. Hanging up her stakes, she tries to live a normal life in the last place anyone would ever think to look for her. An appending apocalypse in the small town she now resides forces her to call the person she was running from the most.

_Preface_

"I have someone in my life now... that I love. It's not what you and I had. It's very new. You know what makes it new? I trust him. I know him."

"That's great. It's nice... you moved on. I can't. You found someone new. I'm not allowed to, remember? I see you again; it cuts me up inside, and the person I share that with is me. You don't know me anymore, so don't come down here with your great new life and expect me to do things your way. Go home."

Buffy looked at him with little shock. She knew she was driving a knife deep into his heart; she'd meant to. Seeing him with Faith's arms wrapped around his neck nearly tore her heart out. So she lied, lead him to believe she didn't trust him, that she'd truly gotten over him, just to hurt him.

As he moved to stand facing the wall, she moved to grab her jacket from where it lay on the banister.

"See? Faith wins again."

"Go."

Buffy kept her poker face on, head held high as she made her way down the stairs and walked back to where she had left her mother's car outside of Angel's office. Once in the confides of the vehicle, however, her façade quickly fade as the cascade of tears she'd held back came flooding out. She looked over at the passenger seat which held the one item she had brought with her. The leather jacket Angel had given her, his second gift to her, lay there unbothered by the events of the day. Gently, she touched the smooth exterior surface of the garment, smiling at the memories it held.

Knowing that going home would be a mistake, that she could not live in Sunnydale without being reminded of Angel everywhere she went, she took her cell phone out of her jacket pocket and called herself a taxi before calling the dorm room she shared with Willow. Her silent prayers that her best friend would not be in to take the call were answered when their answering machine picked up.

Buffy took a deep breath while the machine played the message she and Willow had recorded for missed calls before, after the beep, diving into the message she knew no one would want to hear.

"Will, I'm not coming back," she began, her voice rough and shaky. "I know it's a bad time to do this with Adam and all. Hell, is there a good time to do something like this? But I know you guys will figure something out. I'm sorry. I tried. I tried to move on, I tried to pretend I wasn't dying on the inside, that I don't see him everywhere I go in Sunnydale, but I can't do it anymore.

"I know you guys have tried to be there for me , tried to understand what I have been going through, but you can't. None of you have had the one person you love so much it hurts leave you. I get Oz left you, Will but you moved on. I can't.

"Tell Riley that I'm sorry. Tell him, oh God, I don't know, that even though I tried, I just couldn't get over my past. I wish him the best, I really do but I know he'll probably hate me after this. God, Will, he left his career for me.

"Tell Mom I love her and that I understand that she was only doing what she thought was best for me by going to Angel and using his love for me to try to get him to leave me, behold her success. Tell her, Giles, and Xander that I'll miss them, but this is what I have to do, for me.

"Faith is trying to redeem herself, give her the chance, she's the Slayer in charge now. I think I'll miss you the most Will. You're the closest thing I have to a sister and I'm so sorry, but this is goodbye."

Buffy hung up just before the machine was about to cut her off. Getting out of the car, she dropped the phone to the ground and crushed it. Grabbing the jacket and leaving the keys on the seat, Buffy used the auto lock to lock and shut the door. She'd only have a few minutes left before the cab arrived so she quickly made her way to Angel's office. Knowing that they had left the door unlocked in their haste to get to the police station, she was surprised that the door was shut upon her arrival and that nothing was missing. Opening the door, she quickly moved to the desk and began the hardest letter she had ever had to write.

_Angel,_

_ No matter how hard it is for me to write this, I know it must be harder for you to read it. What I said to you at the police station, what I lead you to believe, wasn't true. I trust you and I haven't been able to move on. I love you more than anything in this world and I always will. Seeing you with Faith last year, even though it was a lie, nearly killed me. Seeing a more truthful version of it today felt like I was sent back to the day I sent you to hell, I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my still beating chest._

_ Riley was someone I cared for, someone I tried to move on with, but I couldn't. Everywhere I went in Sunnydale, I saw you. So I'm not going back there. I'm leaving. I'm going to try to find the normal life you said you wanted for me, but know this, I will never have a completely normal life. I can hang up my stakes but vampires and demons will always find me._

_ Know I will always love you more than I will ever love anyone on this Earth. Don't search for me. If I want to be found, I'll let you know._

_ Love always,_

_ Buffy_

Folding the letter into thirds, she moved into the room that held Angel's personal desk. Pressing her goodbye to her lips, she set the letter on top of one of the stacks of ancient books that littered his desk. Moving to the door, she quickly locked it before shutting it behind her and hurrying down the stairs, arriving outside the building just as the taxi arrived.

Clutching the black jacket to her chest, she got into the cab without looking back.

"Where to, Miss?" the driver asked, his Irish accent thick. He didn't notice Buffy's flinch at the sound of his accent, his eyes trained on the road before them.

"The nearest ATM, then the LAX," she responded, her voice still a bit shaky.

"Running away are we?"

"Yes."


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

Three Years Later

Buffy loved small towns. They made it easier to forget the things that go bump in the night. Deaths of the young, hell deaths all together were more uncommon and drew more attention. It was for that reason that the world of the supernatural seemed to stay away from the town of Park Layne, Ohio. This place was so small it shared its zip code with the closet, though small, city of New Carlisle, and was even considered part of the city. It's why she chose this place to live.

A local Wicca coven had given her a new identity, she now went by Anna Kingston, and had also hidden her from location spells in exchange for protection should they call upon her. Not that they couldn't handle most attacks themselves, but the title Slayer seemed to send any would be baddies in the other direction around here. In the three years since she'd come to live here, she could count all the vampires she had slayed on one hand and all the demons on the other. It was the closest thing to a normal life she would ever have; she was a Slayer, that was that.

She'd done pretty well for herself, she supposed. She was the head waitress at a local restaurant by the name of Mel-O-Dee's and at the age of 22 was the youngest person to ever have been given the title, something she chopped up to her years of balance and coordination training. Her costumers, employers, co-workers, and friends never saw her not have a cheery smile on her face and she was never anything but happy around those who knew her. No she saved her true feelings for when she was alone, for when she was Buffy instead of Anna.

The few friends she had outside of the local coven found her collection of antique books and weapons odd but never brought it up as whenever they did she's brush it off as a hobby her "late" father had passed down to her. They would pressure her to date, say that there had to be guy out there for her but her response was always the same; "There was, he's dead." They'd try other tactics but she was always firm on the subject, there was just no getting over her ex, it was as cut and dry as that.

So she spent most of her nights working late sifts at the restaurant, patrolling alone with the hope of running into something (vampire or demon) she could kill, or the occasional night at a club for Karaoke Night with her Wicca friends.

On this night she was patrolling, praying to whichever higher power that was listening that she'd at least get a kill, if not a good fight. Luck seemed to be on her side as she walked past a mausoleum with a group of about five vampires rifling through the contents, obviously looking for something in particular.

"I'm pretty sure they were put in there to rest in peace, not to have their resting place defiled by those who rose from their graves." She was itching for this fight, to be anything but normal for just a little while. Her sparring partner at her gym, a man three times her size in muscle who she'd only lost to once, had been sick all week leaving unable to train.

"Looky here, boys," called out the vamp Buffy could only assume was the leader of the group. "We have ourselves a little visitor. I don't think the boss man will mind us having a little snack while we're out, do you? Don't you know it's not safe to be walking around a cemetery alone at night, little girl?"

"Not safe for whom? Me? Or you?" Buffy replied as one of the vampire lunged at her. He was quick but she was quicker dodging the attack easily and kneeing him in the gut as he went by.

"I don't know who you think you are," the first vampire began.

"Oh you mean you haven't heard of me?" she cut him off sarcasm laced in every word she spoke. "Seem no one around here has. How about this?" Her attacker grabbed her from behind to which, using his weight along with her strength she flipped him over her and, pulling Mr. Pointy out from up her sleeve, staked him before he had the chance to recover. "Ever heard of Slayer comma the?"

The three other minions attacked her then. The first one to reach her was met with a round house kick to the jaw which sent him flying back into to second, both landing on the ground with a dull thud. The third swung at her a few times which she easily dodged before he made his final appointment with Mr. Pointy.

"Oh, come on," Buffy whined while dodging hits from her two other current assailants. "I thought 'Finally, I'm gonna get a decent fight.' but no, what do I get? Would be baddies if they knew how to fight."

Sending one vamp flying to the ground with a stiff kick to the chest, she staked the other before turning and dusting the other just before his next attack.

Turning back to the "let the others take care of this" vampire she sighed seeing that he'd found what he was looking for.

"Look, we can either do this the hard way or, well, really, there's only the hard way."

"You may have won this round Slayer, but you've lost the war. Your coming here will not stop his awakening. Amducious will have his revenge!" And with that the vampire threw something at the ground, there was a flash of light and a ton of smoke, and he was gone.

"Nice trick," she mumbled between coughs. "Oh, well I'd say four out of five isn't a bad night. Now I guess I should go do some research on this Amdu – whatever guy." She started off toward her house, a good five mile hike, wondering whether the coven had any info on this supposed big bad.

Meanwhile, in Sunnydale

"Try harder."

"Tara and I are trying the hardest we can, Angel," Willow said, feeling both mentally and physically exhausted. "We've been trying for three years. She must have gotten a powerful witch or coven to hide her. We don't even have a paper trail, which probably means they gave her a new identity as well. We need to face the facts. Until she wants to be found, we won't be able to find her."

"Or she could be dead," Anya stated in her usual matter of fact voice.

"An, hun, not really helping," Xander said to his seemingly sometimes uncaring ex.

"I'm not you 'hun' anymore, Xander," she replied coldly, glaring at the way Cordy moved protectively closer to him. "And I'm just saying what we're all thinking."

"She's not dead!" Angel exclaimed through gritted teeth. He'd been tempted several times to strangle the ex-demon several times in the past three years, restraining only because of Xander's love for the woman. Yet for whatever reason she stuck around after Xander had left her at the altar, even stayed after he and Cordelia had gotten back together. He took several calming breaths before the continuing. "The prophecy says the "risen slayer" is the one to bring about his awakening and the only one to bring about Amducious down fall. Buffy is the only Slayer in history to have been brought back from the dead. The prophecy must mean her and since we know the ritual to his awakening is happening soon but we don't know where we need to find Buffy, keep her away from the ritual and we'd have averted yet another apocalypse."

"Angel's right," Giles spoke for the first time. "We're running out of time. I'll contact the council; see if they have any new news on her whereabouts. Willow, Tara after some rest keep trying with the locations spells. Hopefully whatever is hiding her from us will weaken. Anya, ask your demon friends see if they've heard anything about where the ritual is to take place. I'm afraid that's all we can do. Until we find her, we'll just have to pray she's kept up with her training and have done some research herself. If there are no more questions I purpose that you, Angel go on a quick patrol before sunrise."

There were nods from all around the table at the Magic Box before the team dispersed, going their separate ways for the night. All of them wanting one thing; Buffy home, safe and sound.


	3. Chapter Two

**A/N: Sorry for the shortness of this chapter. It's mainly just to push the story along. I've decided to make Buffy a special type of witch****, which Anya will refer to in this chapter and will be explained in another chapter, ** and that she joined the coven she had found to help her hide. The thing about the pack will be explained fully in a later chapter, possibly the next chapter, haven't decided yet, but it is a pack of werewolves. Anya has known where Buffy has been since she became a demon again right after Xander left her at the altar, explaining in a deeper way where she disappeared to the day that followed the ceremony. I think thats everything for now. Enjoy and comments always help to get my creative juices flowing.

**You Know You Love Me,**

**XOXO,**

**Alyss**

* * *

Chapter Two

"So all we could dig up on this Amducious guy is that he's also known as the destroyer and that his awakening would, or more likely might, bring about the end of the world?" Buffy asked into the phone.

"And that the ritual seems to be happening soon somewhere close to here," Amanda, head of the coven, answered.

"Then we need to keep dig- oh holy hell!" Buffy exclaimed as Anya materialized in front of her. "Keep our sisters looking? I have to go, a visitor just teleported in."

"Anyanka?"

"Affirmative." Buffy closed her flip phone and glared at her unexpected guest. "To what do I owe the pleasure this time Anya?"

"It sounds to me like you are unappreciative of all the information I've given you about your so called friends and all the times I've kept them from finding you," the Vengeance Demon replied.

"I've just have an appending apocalypse on my hands so I'm kinda busy." The Slayer wasn't in the mood to placate Xander's ex.

"The Scobbies, a name in which they refuse to let go of, may have something on that. You should call Angel, find out what they know."

"That would give them a lead as to where I am. I'm not ready for them to find me."

"Buffy, you have your coven researching the same demon they are in Sunnydale. And if the demon rumor mill is anywhere in the ball park about how powerful this guy is then you will need the back up."

Buffy thought through her options. She had her pack and her sisters but her gut told her it wasn't enough. "Plant the seed. Get them to the local demon bar, goes by Loveshack, this Saturday. I'll take it from there."

"I'm not sure a public place is such a good place to meet with the-"

"M y coven sisters and the pack will not let me do this alone, they're too protective for that. Besides the Hounds are doing some covers this weekend, it'll give the time I'll need to assess their moods."

"You're the boss, Blood Witch."

"Tell them you have a lead, not that I'm here, nothing more than that, Anyanka."

The woman in question nodded before disappearing. Buffy, knowing she had to move fast to keep a handle on the situation called her alpha wolf first then Amanda, telling them to get the two intertwined groups to Loveshack for an emergency meeting. Sighing, Buffy left her home, wondering if she'd ever get to be Anna Kingston again.

Sunnydale – Angel's Mansion

"I have a lead!" Anya busted through the door without so much as a knock, nearly toasting Angel in the process. "Buffy has been spotted at a demon bar by the name of Loveshack near a small town in Ohio. She was apparently asking around for information about Amducious and said she'd be back this Saturday evening."

"How did she hear about Amducious? Our most extensive research hasn't turned up much," Angel replied in a cold tone while wondering what kept keeping him from killing the demon woman now in his home.

"Hell if I know," an irate Anya snickered in return. "I had to trick several demons into giving me this information, Mr. Broods-A-Lot, demons who will be looking for me once they realize I may have just helped get the inactive Slayer back into the fight. I've risked my life here and you can't even offer a bit of gratitude. It's a wonder why I'm still helping you people."

She had a point. Anya did have the most vast amounts of demon sources in her disposal, sources whom had enjoyed the disappearance of the active slayer, and would not appreciate her involvement in bringing said Slayer out of retirement. This was also the first lead they'd gotten since Buffy's disappearance and he knew if they didn't act fast they'd miss there window of opportunity. Sighing, Angel conceded to the Vengeance Demon. "Do you know where this bar is?"

"Yes. It's run by a half demon who goes by Tom Love and is near a city known as New Carlisle. I'm sure you can tell the gang and get there by the specified day. I have a few jobs to do between now and then so I'll meet you guys there." Anya paused, wondering what the ramifications would be if she left the final piece of information she had gathered on her scouting trip would be. "Oh and the location of the ritual is the same town Buffy has been spotted near. Toodles." And with that she disappeared before Angel could go into a fit of rage by knowing that the only person he has ever truly loved was right where he needed her not to be.


End file.
